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Frontier World Drugs and Substances
†Coral Paste is readily available on Spectoris and free to that world’s agri-workers. Elsewhere it is a Very Rare and highly proscribed substance. 'Dryas (Drug)' Dryas is a compound originally derived from a series of desert dwelling lizards native to the agri-world of Dreah, synthesized by Mechanicus explorators and available commercially as an emergency survival tool. Dryas causes biochemical changes in the human body enabling extended periods of survival in arid atmospheres or when there is no fresh water. Side effects of taking dryas include atrophied taste and smell, and a very unpleasant sense of weakness and lassitude. Few take dryas without an extreme need to do so. A single dose of dryas lasts for three days. During that time, the character taking it receives a +20 bonus to Survival Tests made in arid environments and he requires only half of his usual water intake. However, he suffers a –10 penalty to all Strength and Perception based Tests while under its influence. In addition, those under its effects also suffer a –5 penalty to all Fellowship based Tests due to their slurred speech and vacant manner. Dryas is not addictive, but extended use can cause permanent systemic damage. 'Polygum' “Wot can yer do with it? Ha! Easier to figure out wot yer can’t do with it, eh?” — Hrobe Dolson, Polygum Harvester. A remarkable substance discovered by accident within the wide verdant forests of Ganf Magna, polygum was stumbled upon several centuries ago by a group of frontier farmers in the midst of an engagement with a large tribe of the feral Orks that continue to infest their planet in present times. Their weapons’ fire had opened up the boles of a number of ancient trees, which proceeded to exude a thick sap. In between bouts of combat, one of the farmers observed that wherever the sap had blended with the dust of the dark purple lichen that covered the tree, it had ceased to flow. He soon discovered that the resulting matter had somewhat the consistency of rubber, but that it could be stretched and readily retained whatever shapes it was formed into. At first a useful curiosity, polygum drew even more positive attention when analysis indicated that it had substantive antibacterial properties, presumably due to its lichen component. Polygum can, and has, been used to form countess items, though tarps, ponchos and makeshift slings are the most prevalent. It readily serves as a weather sealant and a few techpriests have been known to bless polygum in order to employ it as a suitable makeshift repair substance for holding machine parts together. An individual with the Medicae skill can employ a ball of polygum to automatically staunch a bleeding wound without a Test and it also serves as an excellent dressing. however, such use causes the polygum to crumble soon after. Polygum is now used throughout the sector, though its rarity makes it costly. It is one of Ganf Magna’s sole exports and it is sent forth in small, cylindrical, carved wood containers. 'Ration Grubs' The world of Dusk is far more famed for its extreme deadliness than the rare few creatures that can aid one’s life instead of quickly ending it. Still, it is from the swamps of Dusk that the exceedingly useful ration grubs hail. Originally discovered during a survey by an Adeptus Mechanicus Genetor explorator team, ration grubs are a phenomenally rich source of nutrients. A single freeze-dried grub, which is about the size of a man’s thumb, provides a subsistence level of nutrients sufficient for a full day, however, the grub’s indescribably foul taste and trace toxins make it a poor choice for a long term diet. Some seasoned travellers like to joke that, as natives of Dusk, ration grubs continue to be deadly to one’s appetite if nothing else. 'Spectorin Coral Paste' “Three years spent orbiting such a rich abundance of sea life as to beggar belief. Three years of constant experimentation, straining the patience of my lords and patrons. Three years of knowing that millions suffer throughout this sector for want of food. Three years of failure. Our latest submersible was destroyed today, a thousand men lost in an instant to the titanic mouth of a Lantern Jaw. This world may not hate us, but it surely hates our works. It matters not. I will find a way. If it takes a millennia, I will find a way.” — From the early personal data-files of Magos Genetus Halix Redole. When the Lord Militant Angevin’s world surveyors first discovered the water world Spectoris, they were delighted by the vast quantities of fish that the planet seemed to promise and readily noted it as a potential agri-world for future use. As the population of the Calixis Sector grew, so to did its need for food. In 312.M41, the Sector Governor declared that the time had come to begin harvesting the piscine crop of Spectoris, a task that was to prove far easier to order than to achieve. The Imperium swiftly found that the denizens of Spectoris routinely destroyed all foreign objects that were placed within the worldocean, effectively halting any large-scale collection efforts. For decades the legendary “complete ocean” held the Imperium at bay, leading many to believe that the world-ocean itself was sentient in some inexplicable manner. At last, frustrated by their inability to progress, the Adeptus Mechanicus turned to one of their more eclecticminded members, the somewhat infamous, Genetor Halix Redole. Genetor Redole was known to be associated with a faction within the Mechanicus known as the Organicists, a group of tech-priests who esteemed biological enhancement as being equal in value with the cybernetic, a somewhat radical if not heretical position from the tech-adepts point of view. Redole applied his keen intellect to the “Spectoris problem” for five years before hitting on a solution. The Genetor discovered that a form of sea life roughly analogous to terrestrial coral was attracted to certain chemicals. By blending the chemicals with a bonding agent derived from a Spectorin fish, Redole created the compound known as coral paste. The paste draws Spectorin coral to whatever it is applied to, soon creating a “natural” layer of sea life that causes the creatures of the world-ocean to regard the encrusted vessel as native. The Genetor’s success opened the way to large scale Imperial harvesting, and coral paste is now regularly applied to all Spectorin ships, no matter their size, as well as being repeatedly caked across the entire hull of the planet’s sole underwater habitat, Enkaidan. Coral paste has proven to be useful to the colonists of Spectoris as a makeshift hull repair agent on a number of occasions. Its utility is marred by the fact it must be reapplied frequently, else the coral covering can deteriorate with lethal results. Coral paste is a highly regulated substance due to the extreme value of a great many Spectorin species of fish, which inevitably brings poachers. Category:Gear